There is a happiness in creating. Plants and flowers are
like musical instruments. Together their notes create an arrangement.
In this context, as gardener, I am a conductor and
my garden song sings to my soul.

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Monday, December 8, 2014

DIY Upcycled Coffee Bags - Gunny Fashion

DIY Upcycled Coffee Sack Pouf (Footrest)

I have a few friends that are just head-over-heels for burlap. One is doing her whole wedding around this fabric - yes, it's even in her bridal bouquet! Thus, when I came into a large supply of jute coffee sacks, I just had to explore the opportunities to up-cycle, recycle, reuse and repurpose them!

Gunny sacks, Burlap, Jute, all very fun to use for crafts and DIY projects.

Coffee sack burlap/Jute is a great sustainable material. It’s a natural, biodegradable, and strong fabric. In my garden I use it to layer-in a weed barrier prior to planting in the flower beds or vegetables. I use it for mound gardening and mulch with it too. I drape some of the old fabric and threads on shrubs for birds to use for nesting. Using the coffee sacks for crafts was a little messy - so I have been cutting it outside.

The most ambitious project was the creation of the burlap pouf - footrest shown in the photo on the right. I really like the look of the item and custom made to just the right height. This project required precision so that all the pieces matched up and the writing on the coffee bags all faced the same direction :) (BTW that beige chair was rescued from curbside and my neighbor reupholstered it!)

Here are some photos of items that I've created from old coffee sacks. Some of these items will be available on etsy in the future.

DIY Upcycled Coffee Sack - Rug

The runner above used a very heavy coffee sack, I opted to keep all the printing on the backside and allow for focus on the nice stripes instead. I lined the back with an old towel so that it is both absorbant and a bit more comfortable on the feet and the floor.

The zip bags below leveraged left over curtains as the lining. So happy to finally use up that old fabric and create something fun. All the ladies wanted one of these.

DIY Upcycled Coffee Sack - Zip Purse

I made up a large number of coffee sack covered boxes. These are very sturdy. I used lots of elmers as well as hot glue.

DIY - Upcycled Coffee Sack Covered Boxes

And let's not forget holiday ornaments :)

DIY Upcycled Coffee Back Ornaments

If you have any other ideas for breat coffee sack items please let me know! I am working on a wreath and a purse. :)